Celebrating 4 Years of Lessons and Growth: A Journey in Small Business

Today, we pop the champagne and throw the confetti because The Studio is turning four years old! Can you believe it? These years have been a wild ride, filled with growth spurts, aha moments, and some real lessons learned.

Be the “least knowledgeable” person in the room. Walking into any situation, dropping the ego and letting go of the things “you know”, will help you truly listen to what people are saying, what they need – and in turn, you’ll learn so much more.

Although every sphere of life has unsolicited advice, I promise when I wrote this, I truly thought about the bigger-picture lessons I’ve learned and wanted to share those with you. As so often, especially in the creative realm, there is a level of competition and of not sharing one’s knowledge, advice or help. Which is one thing, (out of the many…) I wish would change.

The first thing, and maybe the best thing I’ve learned is to be  the “least knowledgeable” person in the room. Walking into any situation, dropping the ego and letting go of the things “you know”, will help you truly listen to what people are saying, what they need – and in turn, you’ll learn so much more. Definitely more than that YouTube tutorial you’re watching! Our biggest teachers have been our clients, and oh boy, they’ve been the real professors in the school of business. They’ve not only guided us along our path, attuning us to be able to service their needs, but they’ve schooled us on what they love and in turn, also showed us how we like to be treated. It’s like a crash course in empathy and understanding, and it’s been priceless.

Managing expectations is the best advice I can give anyone, while overseas overseeing a filming set, the filmmaker gave me some of the best advice ever, ‘always under promise and over deliver’. In this fast-paced world, we need to learn to give ourselves a breather. Quality beats speed any day. So, make sure you give yourself enough time to do everything to the best of your ability, you are not a paper mill. Take your time to make sure you’re happy with what you deliver. We’ve etched it in our ethos and it’s become our business mantra, setting us up for a win every time.

Think of every project as though it’s the best and the last one. When I worked in corporate, when artwork would go for approval, my manager would ask me ‘Would you put your name to this?’ if the answer was yes, the artwork was 9 times out of 10 approved, if not, it was back to the drawing board. For us, each project gets that kind of reflection and the “first and last” treatment, ensuring it reflects our dedication and integrity.

Now, let’s talk about being wrong. I know we all think being wrong is ‘failing’, but being wrong is a part of life, we truly cannot do it all. We just have to do our best, and when we accept we will be wrong at times, it’s liberating to accept it, learn from it, and move on. Not everyone will groove to your tune, and that’s okay. Mistakes are like our favourite teachers – strict, but imparting wisdom we’ll carry forever. Embrace them, and growth becomes inevitable.

Another hard lesson, on the self-reflection side of life, that should be deeply engrained in an entrepreneur, is peace. Success isn’t just about how fast you run; it’s about running with a peaceful heart. Embrace who you are, and let that serenity fuel your creativity and confidence. Know, that unfortunately, you will not always be liked and when there is an issue at work, you will most likely be wrong as, we all know the saying ‘the customer is always right’, even when they are not, remember you are the easiest source to blame. And you know what, that’s fine. Focus on your peace, and peace comes from letting go of trying to explain to people who you are. Not everyone will like you, and that’s okay, let being the most liked person in the room go – because often if you’re the most liked person in the room – do you really like who you are? Ensure your authenticity and peace are always in check.

 For me, my goal is to work with others with passion, kindness and compassion, to help clients with their business while creating a life with space and boundaries for myself and my loved ones to flourish. I’m here to live a life of purpose and passion, and I am lucky “my job” is a part of both of those. But, life is not your work or your job/career.
Your life is precious and short, and it’s there to be actively engaged with, through exploring hobbies, passions, friends, family, moments of stillness, mindfulness, and most importantly rest and living in alignment.
Maybe as I’m getting older and stepping away from the rat race idea, work is a balance, a privilege and something that should not be taken lightly, but work should also not overshadow one’s whole life. To me, your work is not your identity. Your identity is how you show up for yourself and others in this world. To live is to take an active role in your health and life.

Our lives are so, so much more than our careers, and I think we get stuck in the success narrative because it’s validating and easily measurable externally.

Peace comes from letting go of trying to explain to

people who you are. Not everyone will like you, and that’s okay.